During the first three days of classes for Columbus City Schools, half of the students failed to attend.
A teachers' strike prompted the district to implement remote learning at the start of the year. Attendance for August 24 to 26 averaged 24,334 which is 51% of the district’s total enrollment of approximately 47,000 students.
During the first days of remote learning, many parents refused to have their children participate out of solidarity with the teachers’ union. Other parents complained of unclear directions and the inability to log in to the district’s remote learning system.
School officials admitted a difficult start to the school year. The labor dispute was settled after the first day of classes when the union and school board announced a conceptual agreement after a 12-hour bargaining session that ended early Thursday morning.
In-person classes began Monday after the union and school board ratified the three-year contract. Attendance for the first two days of in-person learning averaged about 41,000 students – which is 86% of the district’s enrollment.